March 26 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. may have placed a manufacturing order for 10 million updated iPhones that can download from the Internet at a faster rate than current models, Gartner Inc. said.

The new phones operate on third-generation, or 3G, wireless networks, analyst Ken Dulaney said today in an interview. He cited an unnamed source in Asia, where the devices will be built. The iPhones also may have a screen that is thinner and consumes less power than Apple's current version, he said.

``This is an order placed at the factory, a commitment to the manufacturer,'' Dulaney said, citing his source. The phones would likely be produced over 18 months, he said.

Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs plans to ship 10 million iPhones this year, up from 3.7 million in 2007. The handset, introduced in June in the U.S., currently doesn't support the network speeds buyers in Europe and Asia demand, Dulaney said.

AT&T Inc. CEO Randall Stephenson said in November that Apple will release a 3G iPhone this year. San Antonio-based AT&T, the largest U.S. phone company, is Apple's exclusive provider of wireless service in the U.S.

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, began selling the iPhone in the U.K., Germany and France in November. The company added Ireland and Austria this month. Apple expects to sell the device in more markets in Europe and Asia this year.

The company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation, said spokeswoman Jennifer Bowcock.

Apple, which also makes the Macintosh computer, rose $4.08, or 2.9 percent, to $145.06 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares have fallen 27 percent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Connie Guglielmo in San Francisco at cguglielmo1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 26, 2008 19:37 EDT